When you're ready to build your shiny new web site, the first thing you'll need to do is secure the domain name you want everyone to remember you by. When that time comes? Which domain name registrar do you choose? Last week we asked you which registrars you thought were the best in the market. Then we took your top five domain name registrars and put them to an all-out vote. Now, we're back to highlight the winner.

We've discussed the best web hosting companies, but if you have a brilliant idea for a web…
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Suffice to say voting was tight all weekend, with the first place slot changing hands no fewer than three times. At the end of the day though, it was Namecheap that stood on top, with close to 38% of the overall vote.

The battle for second place was extremely heated, and in the end they were separated by less than 1% of the total vote. Name.com took second place, with under 29% of the total votes cast, and Hover squeaked right in behind it in third with 28% of the overall vote. In a distant fourth was Gandi, with just over 3% of the votes cast, and bringing up the rear was Dreamhost, with just under 3%.

It's worth noting that almost all of our contenders put out the call to their users via Facebook, Twitter, and direct email to get them to come vote, and most of them changed their homepages in response to the poll as well. Some offered discount codes, others announced promotions to get out the vote (like Namecheap - which announced a $0.99 domain registration promo if they won, so make sure to take advantage of it if it comes through,) and others, like Name.com, are offering discounts after the fact to thank their customers for voting. Keep all of that that in mind when considering the results.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!